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Apple Silicon MacBook Air Q&A
Published April 8, 2025
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What are all the differences between the 13" and 15" Apple Silicon MacBook Air "M4" and the 14" MacBook Pro "M4"? Which is best for my needs?
There are three "2025 M4" Apple Silicon MacBook Air models --the MacBook Air "M4" 10 CPU/8 GPU 13", "M4" 10 CPU/10 GPU 13" and "M4" 10 CPU/10 GPU 15".
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (13" & 15" MacBook Air M4 Models)
In addition to higher-end models with "M4 Pro" and "M4 Max" processors, there is a single entry-level "2024 M4" 14" MacBook Pro -- the MacBook Pro "M4" 10 CPU/10 GPU 14".
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (14" MacBook Pro M4)
Because these MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are priced similarly, there is a great deal of interest in comparing them. An in-depth evaluation can be particularly worthwhile, accordingly.
External Differences
Although all of these models use essentially sealed and disposable rectangular case designs with flat sides and are made of aluminum and glass, there are differences between them.
The 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" models are slightly thinner -- 0.44 or 0.45 of an inch compared to 0.61 of an inch -- and slightly lighter -- (2.7 and 3.3 pounds compared to 3.4 pounds) -- than the 14" MacBook Pro "M4".
The 14" MacBook Pro "M4" is offered in either a silver color or "Space Black" whereas the 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" models are available in silver, warm gray "Starlight", light "Sky Blue," and dark blue "Midnight" options.
The displays on 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" models are good quality, but the 14" MacBook Pro "M4" display is significantly better quality, higher-resolution, and brighter, as well.
The 13" and 15" MacBook Air models have "Liquid Retina" displays -- 13.6" (2560x1664) and 15.3" (2880x1864) -- respectively. These displays are LED-backlit with IPS, Wide color (P3), "True Tone" technology that automatically adjusts color temperature, 224 ppi, and provide 500 nits of brightness.
The 14" MacBook Pro, on the other hand, has a higher-resolution 14.2" (3024x1964) "Liquid Retina XDR" display. It also is LED-backlit with IPS, Wide color (P3), and supports "True Tone" technology. However, it is 254 ppi, provides up to 1000 nits of brightness for SDR content, up to 1000 nits of sustained full-screen brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness displaying HDR content, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, as well as support for 1 billion colors. It also supports ProMotion (for adaptive refresh rates up to 120 Hz), which makes a major difference for fast moving images, in particular.
All of these models have "Scissor Switch" keyboards, a large "Force Touch" trackpad, "Touch ID" authentication, and a 1080p, 12 megapixel "Center Stage" webcam in a "notch" at the upper portion of the display, but the smaller 13" MacBook Air "M4" models have four speakers whereas the 15" MacBook Air "M4" and 14" MacBook Pro "M4" models have six speaker systems. The 14" MacBook Pro "M4" also has a reportedly higher quality three-mic array -- with "high signal-to-noise ratio" -- for better sound input, as well.
Connectivity Differences
Connectivity is a substantial point of differentiation between the 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" models and the 14" MacBook Pro "M4".
All of these models have a 3.5 mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3, and a "MagSafe 3" power connector.
However, the 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" models have two "Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C)" ports whereas the 14" MacBook Pro "M4" has three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports in addition to an HDMI port and an SDXC-capable SD card slot.
All of these models support up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt, but the 14" MacBook Pro "M4" has additional options because of the HDMI port. Specifically, the 14" MacBook Pro "M4" also can support one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI, one external display at 8K resolution at 60 Hz, or one external display at 4K resolution at 240 Hz over HDMI.
Identification Differences
As carefully hand documented from each notebook itself by EveryMac.com, the 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" models as well as the 14" MacBook Pro "M4" have different Model Numbers, EMC Numbers, and Model Identifiers.
Although some identifiers have been shared across lines from multiple years, at least for now, these identifiers are unique to these MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models alike. The Model Identifier in software also is a reliable way to differentiate between these notebook lines and others:
| Mac Model | Model No. | EMC No. | Model ID |
| Air M4 13" | A3240 | 8781 | Mac16,12 |
| Air M4 15" | A3241 | 8782 | Mac16,13 |
| Pro M4 14" | A3112 | 8623 | Mac16,1 |
EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature can uniquely identify each of these notebooks by other identifiers, as well.
More information about specific identifiers is provided in EveryMac.com's extensive Mac Identification section.
Internal Differences
Although there are numerous differences between specific interior parts in the 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" models and the 14" MacBook Pro "M4", notebooks equipped with the same processor/graphics processor combo have essentially the same performance-related components and these models benchmark at practically the same speed when otherwise configured identically.
However, the 14" MacBook Pro "M4" uses a fan for internal cooling, so it is less likely to throttle under heavy use and may have a longer lifespan, too. The 14" MacBook Pro "M4" also has a larger battery and can deliver more runtime, also.
All of these models essentially are sealed and disposable and all have processors, graphics processors, RAM, and storage that cannot be upgraded after purchase.
Comparison Chart
The above differences between the 13" and 15" MacBook Air "M4" and 14" MacBook Pro "M4" models -- displays, ports, speakers, external display support, batteries, identifiers, color options, dimensions, weight, and starting prices -- are summarized below:
 Air M4 13" |
 Air M4 15" |
 Pro M4 14" |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Display Size: | 13.6" | 15.3" | 14.2" |
| Resolution: | 2560x1664 | 2880x1864 | 3024x1964 |
| Wide Color: | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| True Tone: | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ProMotion: | No | No | Yes |
| PPI: | 224 ppi | 224 ppi | 254 ppi |
| Brightness: | 500 nits | 500 nits | 1000 nits |
| Architecture: | M4 | M4 | M4 |
| Processor Cores: | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Graphics Cores: | 8/10 | 10 | 10 |
| Cooling: | Passive | Passive | Active (Fan) |
| Std. RAM: | 16 GB | 16, 24 GB | 16, 24 GB |
| Max. RAM: | 32 GB* | 32 GB* | 32 GB* |
| Std. Storage: | 256, 512 GB | 256, 512 GB | 512 GB, 1 TB |
| Max. Storage: | 2 TB* | 2 TB* | 2 TB* |
| Speakers: | Four | Six | Six |
| Thunderbolt: | 2 Ports | 2 Ports | 3 Ports |
| HDMI: | No | No | Yes |
| SD Card: | No | No | Yes |
| Ext. Displays: | 2 | 2 | 2** |
| Battery W Hrs: | 53.8 W Hr | 66.5 W Hr | 72.4 W Hr |
| Battery Life: | 15-18 Hours | 15-18 Hours | 16-24 Hours |
| Color Options: | Silver Starlight Sky Blue Midnight |
Silver Starlight Sky Blue Midnight |
Silver Space Black |
| Height (In): | 0.44 | 0.45 | 0.61 |
| Width (In): | 11.97 | 13.40 | 12.31 |
| Depth (In): | 8.46 | 9.35 | 8.71 |
| Weight: | 2.7 lbs | 3.3 lbs | 3.4 lbs |
| Model Number: | A3240 | A3241 | A3112 |
| Model Identifier: | Mac16,12 | Mac16,13 | Mac16,1 |
| Intro Price (US): | US$999 US$1199 US$1399 |
US$1199 US$1399 US$1599 |
US$1599 US$1799 US$1999 |
| Intro Price (CA): | C$1399 C$1699 C$1999 |
C$1699 C$1999 C$2299 |
C$2099 C$2349 C$2599 |
| Intro Price (UK): | £999 £1199 £1399 |
£1199 £1399 £1599 |
£1599 £1799 £1999 |
| Intro Price (FR): | €1199 €1449 €1699 |
€1499 €1749 €1999 |
€1899 €2129 €2359 |
| Intro Price (AU): | A$1699 A$1999 A$2299 |
A$2099 A$2399 A$2699 |
A$2499 A$2799 A$3099 |
| Intro Price (SG): | S$1499 S$1799 S$2099 |
S$1799 S$2099 S$2399 |
S$2199 S$2499 S$2799 |
* These models could be configured with additional RAM and storage at the time of system purchase. The RAM and storage cannot be upgraded later.
** Because of its HDMI port, the MacBook Pro "M4" can support more display options.
So, is a MacBook Air "M4" or MacBook Pro "M4" model best for me? Which one should I choose?
Just comparing these models, and ignoring earlier ones on the used market, if price is your primary concern, the 13" MacBook Air "M4" is the cheapest new option and the one to get. In fact, Apple even knocked US$100 off the price of this model compared to its predecessor, down to as little as the psychologically important starting price of US$999. It also is the smallest and lightest.
The 14" MacBook Pro "M4" costs at least US$500 more than the cheapest 13" MacBook Air "M4" and US$400 more than the cheapest 15" MacBook Air "M4".
Although this looks like a large price difference upon first glance, and it is US$100 more than the difference between their predecessors (essentially making the MacBook Air "M4" a bit better value at the time of introduction than earlier models), the 14" MacBook Pro "M4" also is equipped with 512 GB of storage in its base configuration. Going from 256 GB of storage to 512 GB of storage on the MacBook Air adds US$200 to the total price, which brings the price premium of the MacBook Pro to just US$200 over its 15" MacBook Air "M4" contemporary.
If you don't need 512 GB of storage, then it isn't especially valuable to you, and you might also choose to just stick with the MacBook Air. However, if you would like 512 GB of storage, the 14" MacBook Pro represents a fairly solid value over the MacBook Air options.
The 14" MacBook Pro also provides (1) a much better quality display, (2) an extra Thunderbolt port, (3) an HDMI port, (4) an SD card slot, (5) better external display support, (6) better cooling, and (7) longer battery life. Also taking the higher capacity SSD into account, those certainly are compelling reasons for some users to choose the 14" MacBook Pro for the extra US$200.
Of course, you always can add external storage later, so plenty of users may prefer to instead put that US$200 toward more RAM in the MacBook Air -- which cannot be upgraded later -- or save the US$200 for later and go with the MacBook Air.
In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new Apple Silicon MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with free shipping. Other World Computing sells used and refurb MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well.
On the other hand, if you need to sell a Mac, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older notebook with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs sells used MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK.
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